Cathy Donaldson

This space nerd recounts her experience at the Sky Experience II Sunrise Eclipse Retreat in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Despite the partial solar eclipse being obscured by clouds, the event rekindled my passion for astronomy through engaging lectures, astrophotography sessions and cultural teachings from Indigenous leaders. The retreat emphasized the importance of dark-sky preservation and the communal joy of stargazing, illustrating how even missed celestial events can inspire a renewed connection with the cosmos.

This article explores the awe-inspiring Fundy Coast of New Brunswick, home to the world’s highest tides and a landscape sculpted over millennia. I guide readers along the 460-kilometre Fundy Coastal Drive, which showcases natural marvels like the Hopewell Rocks, Cape Enrage, Fundy National Park and Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark. The piece highlights the region’s unique geology, biodiversity, and cultural history—making it a must-see Canadian destination.

This four-part series follows travel writer and Trail adventurer Cathy Donaldson as she explores different sections of the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

After a winter hike with the Women of the Wilderness (WOW), I was hooked.

I’d heard about the New Brunswick group a year or two earlier and was keen to connect with gals who enjoy hanging out in nature for hikes, camping and other outdoor fun.

I also appreciated WOW’s focus on kindness, respect and trust. The fact there’s no cost to sign up is a bonus. Those wishing to join simply request membership in a Facebook group and check for events they might like to attend. Such an awesome, inclusive way for women to improve their physical and mental health!

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I wrote the New Brunswick chapter of this guidebook as well as other pieces (essay on Atlantic Canada's gallery scene, itineraries, etc.) This is a complete revision of past editions, featuring a new structure and design with comprehensive information for those planning trips to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

I was pleased to be among 13 accredited travel writers contributing to this 2024 guidebook. Lonely Planet Canada is an excellent resource for independent travellers, offering expert recommendations, detailed maps and cultural insights to help visitors explore this beautiful country.

A mere two days after arriving at a mountainside property in the Costa Rican rainforest, I feel happier than I have in ages. It’s like my spirit has been jumpstarted, my spark reignited with a joy that reminds me of the old me. The pre-menopause me.

Or has this place unleashed a new and improved me?

“I’m not sure what’s happening here but my soul is singing,” I write in my journal on the second night of my stay at The Retreat Costa Rica, located 40 minutes west of San José, Costa Rica’s bustling capital.

Opened in 2016, The Retreat Costa Rica has been lauded with numerous awards...

Just minutes from the city limits, my hunched shoulders began to loosen. A few hours along the highway, my ribs ached from laughing so hard.

A week after the trip, my refreshed spirit is still bubbly.

What journey brought on this much-needed transformation and pandemic reprieve?

I call it the ‘Parkway Getaway’, a recent New Brunswick adventure I had with four gal pals. The three-day, two-night odyssey saw us motor from Moncton to St. Martins for Sleepover Night One, then along the fabulous Fundy Trail Parkway to Alma for Sleepover Night Two, before returning home.

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Our goal was simple: Pick a destination for a mini family reunion that offered fun activities for three generations and didn’t break our respective banks.

The vote was unanimous, with Halifax winning by a landslide.

Why was my family, who would be travelling from Toronto, Cape Breton, Fredericton and Moncton, so quick to choose Nova Scotia’s capital for a weekend getaway?
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This 50-plus gal loves trying new things and keeping up with what’s in, though my adult daughters would tell you I’m far from hip. In fact, they would probably cringe that I just used the word ‘hip’.

To work on upping my cool factor, I recently travelled to Canada’s largest city—Toronto. What follows, dear reader, is a synopsis of that journey, using select lingo explained in italics to help you, too, become less cheugy (completely and utterly out of date).

My older daughter, who has lived in T.O. for most of the past decade, had agreed to help her father and me be more on point...

You know a city is special when the morning you’re scheduled to arrive, you shove your hot curling irons (yes, two) into a fridge to cool them quickly, then promptly forget them as you rush out the door.

I blame my family. And beautiful Boston.

I was so excited to check out of a hotel with hubby last Saturday in Revere, Ma., and collect our younger daughter, Sidney, at nearby Logan Airport that the chilled hair appliances almost became collateral damage.
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When I heard that two of the world’s most famous interior designers planned to remodel a hotel in Louisbourg, near my hometown of Sydney, Nova Scotia, my jaw dropped.

Why would Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan (a.k.a. Colin and Justin) choose this seaside community of about 1,000 people to make their first foray into the hotel business? And how would the celebrity reno impact the town, or the island of Cape Breton for that matter?
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My husband and I are 10.

OK, so in reality, you might need to add 40 or so to that number, but we sure feel like kids at the moment. We just ran back to our beach chairs after playing in the Gulf Coast surf, barely needing to towel off under the toasty midday sun.

Our first-ever trip to Florida’s St. Petersburg/Clearwater area as an empty-nest couple has been so jam-packed with this kind of fun it almost feels like we should have kids with us. Almost.
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Every so often you meet someone you automatically like, someone who inspires you, someone you want to be around as much as possible.

After just four days, that’s exactly how I felt about San Antonio, Texas. And I’m not the only one who has fallen for the city of 1.5 million, which celebrates its 300th birthday in 2018. National Geographic Traveler, Frommer’s, Fodor’s and a host of other travel publications highlight it as a top destination for the year ahead.

What makes San Antonio so special? Here are my top five reasons:

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Sometimes you don’t get what you expect out of a trip. If you’re lucky, you get much more.

I was happy to experience the latter last weekend while in Saint Andrews to write a feature about my inaugural stay in the picturesque town. Hubby came along and while it was meant to be a work trip for me, I later discovered it had been a mindful retreat for both of us, a getaway that left us feeling far more relaxed and refreshed than we’d expected.

We’re raring to return sooner than later.

Our excursion began with a pleasant, two-and-a-half-hour drive from Moncton along Highway 1 west towards...